Authorities say the thefts took place between April and June, when there were at least 19 cases
in Columbus, Delaware, Grove City, Lewis Center, New Albany, Plain City, Powell and
Westerville.

Shoemaker briefly worked for a contractor with Safeguard Properties, a company that inspects and
maintains defaulted and foreclosed properties. He was later fired for undisclosed reasons,
according to Diane Fusco, spokeswoman for Safeguard.

“He was not our employee,” she said. “We utilize a network of thousands of contractors around
the country, and every once in a while, you have an issue. Fortunately, it’s very rare.”

Shoemaker apparently made copies of keys and memorized the codes for houses before he was
terminated, said Traci Whittaker, spokeswoman for the Delaware County prosecutor’s office, which
handled the consolidated case.

Shoemaker and Rhoads were arrested in June after a real-estate agent called police and reported
a man and a pregnant woman in one of his vacant homes in Powell. Police found Shoemaker with
multiple keys and fake work orders from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Shoemaker likely had access to the work orders from his job at Safeguard and used that
information to replicate the documents, Whittaker said.

In one case, a real-estate agent reported to police that a stainless steel dishwasher, range,
refrigerator and microwave were stolen from one of his properties on Deer Trail in Westerville. He
told them he had another in Columbus that also was targeted.

Shoemaker and Rhoads sold the appliances, sometimes on Craigslist, Whittaker said.

Shoemaker pleaded to four counts of burglary and seven counts of theft, while Rhoads pleaded to
three counts of burglary and six counts of theft.

Both are at the Delaware County jail. Restitution will be decided sometime before their
sentencing hearings on March 9.